HUNTSVILLE – The Willis Ladykats had one goal in mind when they took the court on Saturday morning – just win.

Willis did just that as the team emerged victorious in three total matches, remained undefeated this season and claimed the Huntsville Varsity Tournament title by defeating Porter in a two-set sweep in the championship match.

It was the picture-perfect ending to a successful opening week for first-year coach Megan Storms, whose team has still not dropped a single set this year.

"We need to use this to come into our next preseason game against Montgomery (at home on Tuesday), then have it carry us throughout the rest of preseason and strong into district as well," Storms said.

The Ladykats (10-0) took care of business during their morning matches on Saturday, earning quarterfinal and semifinal victories over Huntsville (25-11, 25-18) and Caldwell (25-21, 25-21), respectively. That set them up with the opportunity to play Porter for a second time in three days, and the girls delivered once again with a 25-14, 25-17 triumph.

"I saw a team," Storms said. "I saw them working hard together, playing together. They had energy and excitement, whether they were on the floor or on the bench, and I think that is just a true quality of a real team."

Willis struggled out of the gates in Game 1 against Porter, falling into a 7-4 deficit in the early goings. But the Ladykats responded by scoring five straight points and garnering a lead they would never relinquish. They ultimately pulled away for the win by collecting eight of the final nine points.

"I talked to them before about every time we have a serve, we needed to keep the serve for more than just one," Storms said. "The game before, when we played Caldwell, it was more of a back and forth, and that was one thing that we focused on when we had the ball [against Porter]."

Willis took control right away in Game 2, racing out to an 8-3 advantage. The Ladykats led from start to finish and utilized a strong 7-2 run in the middle of the set to find some separation.

Despite the loss in the championship match, Porter (7-3) won seven matches at the tournament, including bracket-play victories over Livingston (25-14, 25-18) and Tarkington (25-18, 21-25, 26-24) on Saturday.

Hannah Adams led Porter in each of the first two matches, collecting 11 kills. Shelby Williams spearheaded the attack against Willis, finishing with five kills.

"We didn't execute," Porter coach Doris Elizondo said. "We hit into a brick wall, and we didn't use the tools that we have. We started to for a few minutes there, but when you're in an eight-point hole, it's hard to come back out. We did that against Tarkington too, but luckily they gave us a few free points with missed serves, shank balls – they gave us a few opportunities. Willis didn't. Willis came at us, and they came at us hard, and they didn't give us an opportunity to catch up."

While the Lady Spartans did not accomplish their goal of ending the tournament on a winning note, Elizondo has been pleased with her team's progression over the weekend.

After the championship match, she went around in a circle to each of her players, asking them to name one thing they were going to take responsibility for moving forward.

"We've still got some work to do," she said. "I think this tournament was a great experience because we got to play so many games. … It was kind of like, I wish we had gone to Pearland (Adidas John Turner Classic) – we would have gotten more exposure and played bigger teams. But I would much rather have more games. This was a really good learning experience."